Can I fit child seats and a buggy in the Ford Focus Mk3?
The Focus Mk3 never had the largest boot, the hatchback only managing to accommodate 316 litres at most. Bulky buggies and pushchairs will fold up and go in there, but you won't be able to fit anything more into the cargo area in such instances. The RS model, by the way, has an even smaller boot, because the rear driveshafts and differential for its all-wheel-drive system cut the load bay down to a measly 260 litres. The Focus Estate is obviously better on this score, with 476 litres on offer with all seats in use and up to 1,502 litres with the rear row folded away, but it was always a long way off the biggest wagons in the sector in terms of outright carrying capacity.
With two ISOFIX fittings in the second row, compatible child seats can be fitted quickly and easily, but the chances of fitting three child seats across the back are very low. There are three seating positions in the back of the Focus, all with seatbelts, but it will depend entirely on how bulky the child seats/boosters you have are, so take them along to any viewing of a second-hand car to see if they fit. Ford did offer an airbag deactivation key-slot for the front passenger seat, however, allowing a child seat to be fitted there if necessary.
How safe is the Ford Focus Mk3?
The Focus Mk3 underwent its EuroNCAP testing in 2012, after the safety body had changed its procedures in the late 2000s (meaning a lot of models had to be re-tested under the new regime). Under the stricter procedures, the Focus Mk3 picked up the full five-star rating, recording scores of 92 per cent for adult occupant safety, 82 per cent for child occupant safety, 72 per cent for pedestrian protection and 71 per cent for safety assist. As mentioned above, the Focus Mk3 has a pair of ISOFIX child-seat fitting points in the outer-most two rear seats, plus it gets six airbags up front for adult occupant protection.
Click here for the full EuroNCAP report on the Ford Focus Mk3